Recycling Now Mandatory for Rental Apartments and Condos

A new city ordinance, effective January 1st, requires owners of multi-unit buildings to provide "source-separated, single stream recycling." Apartment building residents will have the same kind of recycling services as Chicagoans who receive garbage services from the city. Residents put all of their recycling into one bin, to be collected and sorted.

Building owners and condominium associations will have a 30-day grace period before tickets and fines will be issued. After the grace period, owners who do not comply could face a fine of $500-$1,000 for the first offense. The fines would increase to $1,000-$2,500 for the second offense and $2,500-$5,000 for further violations within a one-year period.